In recent years, digital cameras (image sensing apparatuses) capable of photographing an image by a simple operation and converting the photographed image into digital image data have widely been used. To print an image photographed by this camera and use the print as a photograph, digital image data of the photographed image is temporarily input from the digital camera to a PC (computer), and undergoes image processing by the PC. Then, the processed image data is output from the PC to a color printer, which prints the data.
To the contrary, there have been developed color print systems capable of directly transferring digital image data from a digital camera to a color printer and printing the data without the mediacy of any PC, and so-called photo-direct (PD) printers capable of directly mounting in a color printer a memory card which is mounted in a digital camera and stores a sensed image, and printing the photographed image stored in the memory card.
Especially when image data is to be directly transferred from a digital camera to a printer and printed, demands have arisen for the advent of a photo-direct printer capable coping with digital cameras of various vendors because the specifications and operating methods of digital cameras are different between vendors. Such photo-direct printer apparatus receives and prints image data not only from the above-mentioned digital camera, but also from a cell phone, PDA, and other devices. Further, the printer has various functions. The printer and device cannot predict the capabilities of the partners, and must exchange pieces of function information.